


The Muse of Monarch | Nyoka X Reader

by peachfilledluvvubus



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Feminine Reader, Fluff and Humor, Pining, Unrequited Lust, implied nsfw, nyoka's just a lil tipsy but girl when isnt she lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachfilledluvvubus/pseuds/peachfilledluvvubus
Summary: Be it the liquor, a crush, or flat-out lust, Nyoka’s struggling to figure out what her feelings are toward the Captain of the Unreliable.
Relationships: Nyoka (The Outer Worlds)/Reader, The Captain & Nyoka (The Outer Worlds), The Captain/Nyoka (The Outer Worlds)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	The Muse of Monarch | Nyoka X Reader

_author’s note: the grammar in this is not precise, i apologize in advance!~ <3_

_The Unreliable_ drifts through the cosmos, carrying its crew and Captain on a lazy journey through the stars.

Each member of the ship seems content with keeping to themselves on this day. Parvati is behind the closed doors of her quarters, yet the rhythmic hum of her tools can easily be heard; Clearly, she is engrossed in whatever new project she has taken on. Felix is also in his room, sleeping. Some weeks prior, the male suffered a savage injury across his chest, rendering him useless. Since then, he requires rest, supervision from the Captain, and enough medication to make him unavailable. However, despite his wound and many attempts to accompany the captain on missions _before_ being healed (attempts that have been swiftly put to rest _by_ said Captain), Felix's injury is healing nicely.

SAM seems to be the only person active, and Nyoka can hear him endlessly cleaning, scraping, scrubbing the ship and all the grime the members of it tend to leave behind. At first, the consistency of SAM's loud, thundering footsteps used to get under Nyoka's skin, _especially_ when she had a hangover. Now, after feeling like she can comfortably exist on the ship with its Captain, crew, and Ada, SAM's thumping only seems like another comforting reminder that just _maybe_ Nyoka is right where she needs to be. Of course, the woman can never call any _one_ place **_home_** \-- She doesn't _have_ a home... But at the very least, she can say taking up quarters on _The Unreliable_ feels like a step in the right direction.

The woman, with her salmon pink dreads and dark, umber skin contemplates this as she sits on her bed, her gaze fixated on all the stars sparkling just outside her window. A bottle of Spectrum Red rests in her lap, lazily gripped by her hand-- a clear spill risk, if anything. The woman's eyes glitter with the reflection of the cosmos, a thousand unfinished thoughts floating through her head, all whining for her attention. To say that today, Nyoka is _moody_ is an understatement. Today, not even liquor can drown out her woeful regrets.

No, instead, her distraction comes in the form of her Captain, beginning with Ada's voice.

"Nyoka," Ada calls in her monotone way, catching the woman's attention, "Your Captain would like to see you in her quarters."

Nyoka turns her gaze from the window, now gazing at Ada's communicator implanted on her wall.

"What about?"

"She did not tell me to elaborate," Comes the reply, "Simply requested that I call you to her quarters."

Nyoka cocks a brow, curious, but willing. Capping her Spectrum, the woman rises with a stretch. As she leaves, she sets the bottle on her table and begins the short trip to her Captain's room. When she arrives, she knocks on the metal doors, but can already hear Ada announcing her presence from the communicator within. She hears the Captain's voice, eager but muffled, footsteps, and then the doors are suddenly sliding open.

"Nyoka!" The Captain greets the woman, a grin blooming across her face.

"Hey, Cap," Comes her cool reply, "What's up?"

One quick glance and Nyoka can already tell the other is excited about something. The captain's face is sticky with sweat, eyes wide and glittering. It's either that or the woman is high off of her ass on something. Nyoka's willing to bet it's her first assumption, since in the time she's known her, Captain's never been one to indulge in that kind of thing.

"Well, the other day--" The captain steps away from the door and into the rest of the room. Nyoka takes that as her cue to come in, shutting the door behind her, "Me and Parvati were out buying some supplies and stuff, you know, doing our thing…and then I _saw it._ "

The Captain stops just in front of her desk, blocking Nyoka's view as she gathers something in her arms. Nyoka tilts her head, interest provoked.

 _"It?"_ The woman repeats with a grin.

Captain spins around, and, to Nyoka's surprise (and growing confusion), her arms are filled with an assortment of pencils, paint brushes, the paint itself, and thick pieces of paper- The tools of an artist.

"Tadaaaaa!" Chimes the Captain, clearly very proud of her collection, "Isn't this just **_insane!?_** I hadn't seen any other vendors selling _anything_ like this," The woman sets the items back onto her desk and begins to fiddle with them. As the frenzied words continue to spill from her lips, she waves her hands with excited animation, "It took everything in me to not freak out the second I saw it all. But I think the lady at the counter noticed anyway and tried to overcharge me…"

Captain turns to Nyoka, the devilish grin on her face almost startling the woman.

"Keyword in that sentence is _tried,_ " The captain snickers, "In the end, we got all our good's for half price and Parvati was very, _very_ upset with me. Said I was _too aggressive_ and that _actin' like that with folks'll come back to haunt you, Captain_ …"

Her smile dissolves, eyes glazing over as she recalls the scenario. Nyoka, however, chuckles at her dead on imitation of Parvati's voice.

The captain suddenly shakes her head, frowning, "And, I mean, _yeah,_ Parvati's probably _right_ , but it doesn't _MATTER_ because--"

Nyoka places a hand onto her shoulder, "--Gather yourself, Captain."

The woman stops short, all her words crashing together in the back of her throat. Captain glances at Nyoka, embarrassed, before turning back to eye the brush in her hand.

"Sorry… I'm just-- _really_ excited. I mean--" She grabs some of the tubes of paint, "--Look at all these colors!"

"They're great, Cap," Is Nyoka's wary reply, "But what does this have to do with me?"

At that, she stops short yet again, gazing at Nyoka with glassy eyes and a hanging jaw. The pause of silence is long, _too long,_ but Nyoka already has the answer.

Nyoka shakes her head, idly scratching the side of her nose, "You forgot what you called me down here for, didn't you, Captain."

"…Yeah. Yeah, I did."

The pink haired woman nods, "Typical."

"Uhm," She turns around, hands on her hips as she paces away, trying to recall why she needed Nyoka in the first place.

Ada, ever present, asks, "Perhaps, I can be of some assistance, Captain?"

"Oh, yeah! Ada, can you remind me why I wanted Nyoka to come down here?" Captain exclaims, turning back around and looking up at the ceiling.

Nyoka has noticed the woman has developed an odd habit of directing her voice _upward_ whenever Ada addresses her. It's as if she think's Ada's voice comes from the metal plates up above and not the communicator so obviously placed on her wall. It's stupid, definitely, yet somehow Nyoka can't help but smirk whenever the woman does it.

"Of course, Captain," Replies Ada, "You were attempting to use your artistic supplies, but could not find a suitable piece to recreate. You spent minutes complaining to me about it, before you then said-"

"Wait, I remember!" Exclaims the captain, eyes still trained upward, "Thank you, Ada, but I got it from here."

"Yes, Captain."

Nyoka, who busies herself with plucking at the dried blood under her nails, looks up at that. She finds herself the subject of her captain's mischievous gaze, her toothy smile… And immediately readies her defenses.

"No," She glares at her, "The answer is _no._ I don't care what it is, I'm not interested. I've seen that look on your face before and I know it what usually leads to: _Bull. Shit_. And today I ain't interested."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hear me out, out, out--," The captain exclaims. When Nyoka cocks an expectant brow at her, she continues.

"All I wanted to ask… was if you would be my model for a bit. I just wanna draw you. No more throwing gas canisters in the air and seeing who can shoot them first. No more playing Ring Around the Raptidon… You just take a seat and I draw you. Easy. Simple."

" _Not_ life threatening?" Nyoka cautiously chimes, mahogany eyes narrowed with distrust.

Her captain nods reassuringly, her voice soft when she confirms, _"Not life threatening."_

Nyoka chuckles, clicking her tongue.

"…Don't know, Cap. You always got some shit going on…" She slams her thumb into her chest, "And you always drag _me_ into it. Felix might think your bullshit is funny, but after being chased by a raptidon _without_ a weapon, even simple things seem like a trap with you."

If Nyoka knew any better, she wouldn't have given her the chance to persuade her, to use the very charm that led Nyoka to a life with an erratic captain and equally disillusioned crew. However, she doesn't, which only serves to give the Captain the _perfect_ opportunity.

"What's the harm in sitting down and letting someone paint you?" Her captain arguably reasons with her, forcing Nyoka to reconsider, "We're on the ship, no raptidons in sight…"

The woman motions at the glass windows that displays nothing but the stars. Nyoka follows the gesture, staring, for the second time, into the twinkling cosmos. The dark, unforgiving cosmos… The life consuming, suffocating cosmos…

Maybe she had a bad bottle of Spectrum Red, but Nyoka's starting to feel a little nauseous.

"Besides…"

She hears the captain's soft voice start once more.

"I think it'd be an honest-to-goodness shame not to paint such a pretty face, Nyoka."

Nyoka turns back to her, expression tightened into obvious bewilderment. Yet, her captain only tilts her head and smiles. Nyoka's eyes flicker across the woman's face, looking for any hints of sarcasm, of humor, and finds none. Which means, through her charm, that captain of hers is being genuine. In response, one part of Nyoka _wants_ to cringe, because _dammit_ , if that isn't the corniest thing she's heard in a _while._ Despite it all, she bursts into that familiar, husky burst of laughter.

"Alright, Cap. I'll do it," She rolls her eyes, "I forget just who I'm talking to. The _charmer,_ " She sneers, shaking her head playfully.

The captain giggles, just as pleased with herself as she is eager to put her supplies to use.

\---

Nyoka, perhaps, could have considered the situation a bit _more_ before she allowed herself to be involved. Perhaps, if she did, she would not find herself where she is now, which is propped up in a pose that's _honestly_ killing her back. It's too late to back out now, though _, far_ too late. She knows that for a fact. See, _usually,_ Captain is pretty easy going. _Usually,_ the woman bends and sways her will to meet the needs of her crew members. Sometimes even the _ridiculous_ needs _. "My happiness is the crew's happiness,"_ She always says. Not today. Well, not while Nyoka is her _star model,_ as the captain has so _lovingly_ been calling her. She's threatened Nyoka half a dozen times with a fiery death if she so much as moved an inch out of the carefully selected pose Captain put her in. The pose? It's something that Nyoka hasn't quite figured out how she feels about yet.

She is seated before the large window of the captain's room, legs crossed, chin tilted upward, her right arm propped up on some chests and the left strewn across her lap. If her posture doesn't replicate the figure of a pissed off queen enough, her face surely does. Captain _insisted_ on her pulling a cocky expression, as if the imaginary person she was to be glaring at was the scum of Monarch.

"I'm almost done with the sketch, Nyoka, just a little longer…"

"The _sketch?_ " Nyoka replies as best as she can without moving her lips much, "All this time, and you've only been working on the _fucking-_ "

"Art takes time, Nyoka!"

If she could, she would have rolled her eyes at the woman so furiously intent on capturing her image. In fact, the captain is so intent that in her rush to capture Nyoka's every detail, she spills the glass filled with various pencils and brushes.

"Aw, shoot--"

The captain huffs, quickly attempting to gather the spilled materials. To her chagrin, some of them roll under the heavy chest to the left of her bed, one too heavy to simply be moved aside. She mutters what Nyoka assumes to be curses under her breath, dropping to her knees as she attempts to slide her arm underneath and find them.

"Don't move!" The captain calls, voice muffled on account of her face being smooshed against the ground, "Captains orders, _don't move!_ "

"Uh huh," Nyoka replies, already standing and stretching her stiff limbs. Soundlessly, she pulls out her flask from her back pocket and takes a swig, her eyes cautiously glued to the captain's figure. It's as she awaits her cue to jump back into pose, she realizes that she… may have been underestimating you…

_…As a woman._

Perhaps it’s the state of inebriation Nyoka is slowly working herself into. Maybe, it's the fact that Nyoka has only ever viewed you as her employer or her captain. Possibly, it's because she only has ever seen you saddled up in heavy armor that hides every single inch of your shape, but…

She's gotta admit, you look _good_ for someone with nearly no sense in her brain.

Nyoka pulls her gaze away as she takes another sip of her drink. A second or two passes and, knowing she's taking _full_ advantage of the situation, the woman finds herself thieving yet another glance. A slightly inappropriate thought comes to mind, followed by the _definitely_ inappropriate dart of lust that shoots down her spine. The woman abruptly shakes her head and forces herself to turn away once again. Deciding that _maybe_ she's had too much to drink, she caps up the flask and shoves it into her pocket. If _these_ are the kinds of things slipping into her head, she certainly doesn't need to be drinking anymore. Or, maybe, she just needs to drink _more_ to forget about it all. Oh, and she needs to get laid. Like, **_real_** _bad_. Obviously.

"Got it!!" Captain suddenly exclaims, and Nyoka has herself repositioned in a heartbeat.

The woman finally rises, the runaway tools in her hand, a triumphant smirk on her face. She takes a step toward her desk, looks up at Nyoka, then pauses.

"You moved _._ "

Nyoka loses her composure, groaning and throwing her head back, body slumping in her seat.

"What do you _expect?_ Sorry, but if you want a stiff, lifeless, _star model,_ " She mocks, "Then get a _mannequin._ "

The captain opens her mouth, stinging words on the tip of her tongue, but stifles them with a smile.

"What a delightful idea, Nyoka," She instead says with a voice as sweet as saccharine, "Perhaps I ought to skin you and stuff you, then? Would you prefer that?"

"Ha!" Her laugher is boisterous and scathing, "Honestly, Cap, I'd like to see you _try_."

Nyoka's gaze is both relaxed as it is arrogant, her eyes shimmering with mischief. It's _challenging._ Captain observes her for a moment longer, eyes flickering across Nyoka's figure. Abruptly, the captain flings the pencils onto the desk and walks straight toward the woman seated before her. Nyoka's composure stutters then, but when her Captain comes to a direct stop right before her, she freezes completely. The captain's expression is almost… _curious_ as she stares down at her crew member. Nyoka, unrelenting, holds the woman's gaze as her own face slowly tenses. Outwardly, the woman with her pink dreads and full, tender lips, is simply confused. Yet, as her captivated eyes stare into her captain's own, as the reflection of the stars outside the window mirror in her captain's eyes, Nyoka realizes she is **_excited_** _._

The captain's unsteady fingers touch the skin of her neck and a sigh leaves Nyoka's lips.

 _Since when had she_ **_even_ ** _been holding her breath?_

The woman's fingers toy with the loosely tied scarf, fiddling until she pulls it away from Nyoka's dark flesh entirely. The layers of clothes, once bound, slack without the fabric to hold it together. The sensation of vulnerability fills Nyoka to the brim, her lips parting, eyelids heavy. She's been close to the captain before, shot mantisaurs to _bits_ with her captain's back pressed against her own, but _this…_ This is something new and _highly_ inappropriate. She can get used to being so close to her without any rightful _reason_ to be. Even if it means crossing the line between captain and crew. In fact, she _welcomes_ it.

The captain's fingers tilt her chin up, as the scarf loops around her neck once more. Nyoka cocks a brow, curious. Why is the captain retying it? Usually, you're suppose to take more clothes off instead of--

The captain yanks the scarf tight around Nyoka's neck, and every single thought in her head implodes upon itself.

"You'd like to see me try?? YOU'D LIKE TO SEE ME _TRY???_ " Captain hollers, laughing cruelly as Nyoka pushes her away.

"What the FUCK--" Nyoka exclaims as she finally shoves the woman away, rising. She rubs at her throat as her eyes bore into you.

"You said you would like to see me TRY!" The female hollers in response, "So I DID! And you totally fell for it, too!" Captain pauses to giggle, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth, "How could you not see that _coming?_ "

Because Nyoka was too busy imagining bending you over a table, _that's_ how.

She huffs, hand still gripping her flushed neck. Incomprehensible curses spill from her lips, but it's easily drowned out by your ruthless, mocking laughter. Half of Nyoka's anger is just a poor attempt to mask her embarrassment, because, _honestly_ , how could she _really think_ that you were gonna "go all the way" with _her? A crew member?_

"I'm not doin' this anymore, I'm leaving--"

"Wait, no!" Captain exclaims, "I'm not finished drawing you, and I--"

"Nah, you're on your own," She tosses her hands into the air, avoiding the woman's eyes, "I'm going to bed. I can't be in the same room as you anymore. Have fun, Cap."

With Captain's protests ringing in her ears, Nyoka strides out of the room, shutting the doors behind her. Her footsteps are precise as she marches up the stairs, but as soon as she is behind closed doors, Nyoka collapses onto her bed.

"Never gonna live that down…" She groans, hands dragging across her face.

The communicator on the wall clicks on, and Ada's teasing voice quietly whispers, "I can see why. That was particularly _humiliating_ to watch, Nyoka."

 _Of course,_ Ada saw everything. How _couldn't she?_

Nyoka groans, shoving her face into her pillow as she tries to push thoughts of her Captain out of her mind.

**Author's Note:**

> wahh, i had so much fun writing this. nyoka is so pretty! i was in love the moment i met her. im not fully satisfied with this, i feel like if i get back into the swing of writing again, i can really nail nyoka’s character. but it felt criminal to let this sit and rot. hopefully, i can make something else for her that im really proud of, and, ofc, the other companions. hope u enjoyed, hehe. (originally posted to my tumblr, @nyokaswifey !!)


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